The New England Colonies
The Great Migration
• During 1620’s & 1630’s economic problems in England
left many people unemployed.
• King raised taxes and disbanded legislature
• William Laud, head of Church of England , called the
Puritans dissenters and wouldn’t allow them to hold
important positions
• Between 1629 & 1640 80,000 men, women, and children
left England
• About 40,000 left for the Americas
The Massachusetts Bay Colony
• King Charles I gave the Puritans a charter to set up a
Royal colony in New England
• Governor John Winthrop was their leader.
• They made a covenant-a sacred agreement- with God to
build an ideal Christian community.
• The Puritans were well prepared and began trading with
the Pilgrims.
• Massachusetts had a healthy climate and few died from
disease
The New England Way
• The charter gave the Puritans the right to govern the
colony but they also had to obey English law.
• They set up a court system were politics were closely
linked with religion
• White, male church members were only allowed to vote.
• Focus of New England politics was the town meeting;
settling issues of local intrest.
Daily Life and Customs
• Life centered around religion, family and public duties.
• Church was every Sunday and lasted most of the day.
• In Virginia people we either wealthy or poor; in New
England they were in between.
• focused on growing food rather than tobacco, and they
had a variety of food.
• Had large families to help with the chores and farming
• Men were the head of the family, women to serve their
husbands and manage the household.
• Massachusetts passed the first law regulating education
• children needed to learn read and understand the Bible.
• Harvard first college in America to train ministers
Dissent in Massachusetts
• Thomas Hooker and followers left Massachusetts for
religious reasons and founded Connecticut
• Fundamental Orders of Connecticut set up their colonial
government
• Roger Williams was forced out of Massachusetts, he
wanted to separate church and politics, founded Rhode
Island.
• Anne Hutchinson also led a group to Rhode Island
Salem Witch Trials
• Many Americans had brought a belief of witches with
them from England.
• A girl had suffered from fits after a slave, Tituba, was
telling some of the girls fortunes
• Other girls started to fake fits and accusing people of
being witches
• This caused mass chaos and took a while for the leaders
of New England to finally stop the lies and apologize
• over 100 people were accused and 19 were hung